The Newcastle United Save Our Seats row took a final twist when it emerged the club is to slash prices of controversially-priced seats.

Seats in the Bar 1892 section of the Milburn Stand at St James's Park, which were pitched at #1,350 this season, will be #555 cheaper next season at #795.

Seats in the Sir John Hall Sports Bar will drop to #725 from this season's #995.

The Save Our Seats campaign was launched in October, 1999, after the club revealed plans to move 4,000 season ticket holders, many of whom had bought a #500 bond which they believed entitled them to a specific seat for 10 years, to accommodate corporate clients at St James's Park.

Six bondholders took the club to the High Court, but their action failed.

Just before United's first home game this season against Derby County, more than 500 of the seats at the centre of the row remained unsold.

The club then advertised Sports Bar seats at #52.50 a match and Milburn Stand seats at #71, with access to Bar 1892.

Jane Duffy, a leading figure in the SOS fight, said: "The seats which are being reduced are all SOS seats. They were our seats."

She said that she was asked to pay #1,350 for her seat which had cost her #498 in 1999-2000.

"We told the club in October 1999 that there would not be a demand for seats at that price and that the number of boxes and corporate seats already in the ground was more than sufficient.

"The club said it had done extensive market research and there was a huge demand for these seats. But we have been proved right.

"I have not been to home Premier league games this season but reports back say that there have been large numbers of empty seats especially in the Milburn Stand."

United chief executive David Stonehouse said: "Some of the seats that are being reduced would have been SOS seats.

"We purposely did not sell some seats on a seasonal basis and we could not promote them until the SOS court appeal was finalised.

"For big games the seats sold fully but for some of the less attractive ones they didn't.

"After things had settled down for a year we looked at how everything was working and at whether we had got the mix right, and to some extent we didn't think we had got it quite right."

Mr Stonehouse said the aim was to give fans value for money.

"These are premium seats but they are now more reasonably and appropriately priced.

"We were not happy that we had got the balance right and we have addressed the situation. We are sure the new prices will prove attractive.

"We hope now that things have settled down some of the people who were disaffected would look at the prices and may say that they are more in line with what they would be willing to pay, and go back. But that is their choice ."

Ms Duffy, who has travelled to away games this season, said: "It depresses me because it is, yet again, a case of the club having hammered another nail into the coffin as far as significant numbers of supporters are concerned.

"If in the end I stand back, I can say we were absolutely right. But as a result of what happened my love for Newcastle United has come to a temporary end."